1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a wood building construction and more specifically to a wood building construction having a panelized floor and multi-level panelized exterior wall construction.
2. Prior Art
With the advent of pretreated lumber it became feasible and acceptable to use wood products below grade in various building constructions. For example, it has been proposed to place a treated wooden floor system directly on sleepers which are either embedded in a concrete floor or rest on a gravel bed. While the foregoing arrangements eliminated the need for a costly crawl space, a separate concrete or masonry type perimeter foundation was still provided about the floor system to support the walls of the structure.
In the art of wood frame buildings the use of balloon framing was prevalent up to the first part of the present century. Panelization or "Western Framing" then came into vogue. However, the panels only extended in height from floor to floor. In a few instances subsequent to the advent of pressure treated lumber the panels would be supported directly on a gravel bed or on a masonry footing and a false wood floor, spaced from the ground would be installed. Once again the use of the crawl space technique added substantially to the construction costs.